Mandarin is now the most common language on Sydney streets after English!

A recent publication “Multilingual Sydney” from Macquarie University led by Dr Alice Chik has highlighted the ethnic diversity and multi-culturalism in Sydney. The number of people speaking Mandarin in Sydney has increased by 71 per cent between 2011 and 2016.

Co-editor of the book Dr Robyn Moloney said the research showed that “the NSW Department of Education is doing little to mine Sydney’s rich linguistic resources”.

“The economic future of NSW lies here in our diversity of languages. Students need another language if they are going to have a career involved in global trade, politics or economics,” she told Macquarie University’s Lighthouse.